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I’ve been using Mary Jane illegally to help with my lower back pain and insomnia (caused in part by my lower back pain) for over a decade. I’m “the guy” that all my friends come to for advice on what to buy and how to use it. So when Ohio finally decided to make the thing legal for medical purposes, I decided to apply for a med card. Here’s a list of all the states where you can get one.
I knew the process might be overwhelming but that I could do it online, so I tried out all four of the top services I could find. That way I’d know which to recommend to my friends and family.
I tried NuggMD, Veriheal, Leafwell, and Green Health Docs. Let’s see how they stack up.
Click here to jump directly to my top choice!
I considered six key factors in my search for the best telehealth service.
With these six factors in mind, I reviewed the top telehealth services I could find. Here are the four best ways to get a med card online, their pros and cons, and which one I recommend for new and returning med card holders (yes, you’ll need to renew your card every now and then).
Every state has its own laws. In some states, a med card is the only way to purchase flower, edibles, and other products legally. In others, a med card offers unique benefits, like lower prices, higher purchase limits, and greater legal protections. But is getting a medical card worth the extra steps and money?
As I said, I’ve never had trouble getting my hands on some good green, but in my experience, the answer is a resounding yes.
The benefits of getting a med card aren’t the same from state to state, but they typically include:
The actual dilemma for patients, then, isn’t whether or not to get a card, but deciding which telehealth service they should use.
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NuggMD is an online service that offers users a convenient process to get their medical card. They seem to have been around the longest (founded in 2015), and according to them, they’ve helped over 1,000,000 patients nationwide.
NuggMD is the cheapest option I found (and by a good margin). The state of Ohio charges a $50 processing fee unless you qualify for subsidized pricing, so I appreciate the money I save.
At $139 for an evaluation, my total costs for getting an MMJ card come in at just under $200 (some other states are much cheaper, so check yours).
NuggMD also offers bundle packages for 2 to 3 year renewals that drop the renewal prices to as low as $98 a year.
It took just 7 minutes for me to go from the signup screen to the payment screen, and just about 25 minutes from start to finish.
Signup required a short questionnaire about medical history and prior canna-experience. After payment, I waited in an online waiting room for 6 or 7 minutes before connecting to a doctor.
I then spoke to the doctor for about 10 minutes to review all my information and ask my questions about which types of canna-products to use to get the effects I want (pain relief and better sleep), in what dose, and the remaining process to get my card. The doctor was super friendly, helpful, and professional.
Two days later I was approved and prompted to complete the process by registering myself through the Ohio state website.
NuggMD is a super user-friendly platform. The website was easy to navigate, and the customer support chat box was always standing by at the bottom of the screen.
I tested out the chat function and found the customer service team was super responsive.
Each question I asked took about a minute or two to get a response, and the responses were filled with additional helpful information. I also loved that all my conversations were saved in the chat so I could easily reference them later.
NuggMD’s website states they are “HIPAA compliant and take all available actions to keep patient information confidential and secure.” They are also transparent about the limitations to privacy that all medical patients are subject to, letting me know how my information would be treated by the state. They also process payments using a secure processor with the same encryption technology all central banks use.
I’m not a tech guru, but this checks all my privacy boxes.
NuggMD offered a few simple add-ons, some more useful than others. I liked their bundles to save on renewals. The optional consultation to discuss products and usage questions was a nice touch. And their Culinary Cannabis cookbook and Stash Collection were playful and practical.
They also offer add-on consultations regarding pets. They’re a bit pricey at $100 for 15 mins and $150 for 30. I didn’t need these services, but I could see it being a helpful service for people with pets.
NuggMD didn’t bombard me with unwanted emails. I received copies of my chat transcripts and one follow-up email regarding the status of my card.
Check out NuggMD
Promo code TWENTY2023 [expiring soon!] gets you an extra $20 off
Leafwell is one of the newer telehealth services. They were founded in 2019 but have quickly joined the ranks of the top-performing online medical card providers. They seem to have a strong emphasis on education, and their blog is full of great content (although when going back to check NuggMD and Veriheal’s sites, they also seem to have a huge library of resources).
Leafwell has the second most affordable option for medical patients in Ohio at $149.
The process from start to finish (sign-up to and connecting with a doctor) was slightly longer than NuggMD at about 30 minutes. They have an open waiting room, so I was able to meet with a doctor right away instead of scheduling a few hours in advance like with Veriheal.
The only real hiccup was signing up, which required more personal information (and a little more time) compared to other sites.
Leafwell requires more personal information before proceeding to make an account, which is why I reverted to utilizing the online chat. Thankfully, their customer service was super efficient, and I was connected with an agent within a minute. The agent was very responsive and detailed in answering all my questions.
The website is a bit more education-forward than the others, which was okay for me but might be a bit overwhelming when starting a cannabis journey.
Their customer service hours are a bit more limited than NuggMD and Veriheal, operating from 8 am - 8 pm daily.
This is the most digestible and comprehensive security information I found of any of the med card sites. It went beyond the standard legal jargon to explain why and how they collect any data while keeping the rest secure.
Leafwell offers additional consultations starting at $69, but they didn’t clarify for how long. Either way, it’s on the lower end compared to other services I reviewed.
Leafwell sent the most post-signup communication. While this included copies of my chat transcripts and other helpful information, it also included a few promotions I could have done without.
Veriheal has been a telehealth medical cannabis platform since 2017. They have employees in different parts of the world helping connect patients to over 100 doctors. Like NuggMD, they claim to have served over a million MMJ patients.
Veriheal is on the pricey side at $199 for the initial consultation with the doctor. The Ohio State processing fee brings my bill to just about $250 – a pretty decent sum for a card that is only valid for a year. They do offer a referral program, which gets you Veriheal credits, which I’m assuming can be used towards renewal costs. But that is a whole bunch of extra steps I won’t be following through with.
It took me about 9 minutes to answer a decent amount of personal questions and sign up. Then you have access to a patient portal where you can book appointments. Same-day appointments are available. I booked an appointment a few hours ahead and chatted with the doctor. That took about 10 minutes. So while the evaluation wasn’t as immediate as it was with NuggMD, it didn’t take long to schedule or complete.
Completing the state portion and receiving a card, if approved, can take up to 48 hours.
Veriheal’s online portal is a little more user intense, and it took me a few moments to navigate the different options. The online chat doesn’t connect right away, and I had to enter some information before starting. But customer support was attentive and knowledgeable once connected. And their hours (8 am-11 pm) are slightly more robust than NuggMD offers.
All the telehealth services I reviewed offer the same legal protection as the others, which is probably standard. Veriheal didn’t mention what type of payment protections they offered (or I couldn’t find that information).
$79 will get you 15 minutes of additional one-on-one time with a consultant, and $109 will get you 25 minutes. While this still feels pricey to me, they are cheaper and more open ended compared to NuggMD’s add-ons.
This service had the least amount of unnecessary post-purchase communication, which is super appreciated. Only important confirmations were sent.
Green Health Docs was founded in 2017 by a group of medical professionals that included pain medicine doctors, surgeons and anesthesiologists. They offer patients a convenient online option for obtaining their medical card.
While it wasn’t by much, Green Health Docs is the most expensive online medical cannabis card provider at $200. They do offer a discounted renewal at $150 and a referral program to earn cash back. But I wasn't too excited about this service at the initial price and the extra steps to refer and get money back.
I wouldn’t say Green Health Docs was slow, but it felt that way compared to the other three services I tried. Sign-up was easy, but I had to reserve an appointment for either a few hours later or the next day.
Somewhat surprisingly for an online telehealth service, Green Health Docs doesn’t offer an online chat; only texting and calling. When I did text, I had to wait a few hours for a response. And when customer support did get back to me, they were eager to sign me up rather than inquire about any other questions I may have. All of this deterred me from wanting to inquire further.
The website was also a bit cluttered. I could quickly access educational materials and other information about the company, but I’m not sure it’s needed on the first page when I’m trying to find out how to sign up.
They list the standard privacy and security policy, putting them in line with Veriheal but not up to the standard Leafwell (and to a lesser degree NuggMD) established.
Green Health Docs offers a $40 downloadable “beginner’s guide” style book as well as an additional 30 minute consultation for $99. But considering how much 101 information is available for free, and given the higher initial price of the evaluation, I probably wouldn’t add on these services.
Be prepared when signing up for Green Health Docs to receive an initial influx of text messages and promotional emails. They sent the most out of any service.
NuggMD received top marks for an impressive 4 of 6 factors I considered. Leafwell came in as a strong second due to their speed and privacy protections. Veriheal also put up strong numbers, and their post-purchase experience was easily the simplest. Green Health Docs failed to stand out, but given how strong the other services are, that’s not necessarily surprising.
Check out NuggMD
Promo code TWENTY2023 [expiring soon!] gets you an extra $20 off